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IMDbPro

Rosario Dawson

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,00098
Rosario Dawson
Take a closer look at the various roles Rosario Dawson has played throughout his acting career.
Play clip1:03
Rosario Dawson | IMDb Supercut
99+ Videos
99+ Photos
This stunning and resourceful actress has been primarily a film player thus far. Only recently has she been opening herself up more to doing television (the series Gemini Division (2008), which she executive-produced), and animated voice-overs. Dawson's powerhouse talent stands out the most in edgy, urban filming that dates back to 1995 when she was only sixteen.

A rags-to-riches article entitled "Rosario Dawson: From Tenement to Tinseltown" probably says it all. Rosario was born on May 9, 1979 in New York City. Her mother, Isabel Celeste, of Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban descent, is a singer, and her stepfather, who raised her, Greg Dawson, of Irish descent, is a construction laborer. Her parents, who married when both were teenagers, eventually divorced. Rosario and her younger brother, Clay Dawson, had it hard while growing up, and were cared for by family members, most of whom were poverty-stricken, and some of whom were HIV-positive.

Her career actually started as a child when she made a minor showing on the children's show, Sesame Street (1969). As the story goes, she was "discovered" as an adolescent on her front porch step by two photographers. One of them, Harmony Korine, was an aspiring screenwriter who thought the inexperienced sixteen-year-old was ideal for the controversial cult film Kids (1995), in which she would portray a sexually active adolescent. It took time for Rosario's film career to kick in after that, but by the late 1990s, she had nabbed several independent films. Since then, she has moved into main-stream hits (and misses) and has surprised viewers with her earthy, provocative, uninhibited approach to her roles.

Reflecting New York's tougher, tawdrier side as assorted streetwalkers, homeless mothers, drug addicts, etc., her film highlights have included Light It Up (1999), Edward Burns' Sidewalks of New York (2001), Spike Lee's 25th Hour (2002) and Shattered Glass (2003). For Oliver Stone, she portrayed the duped bride of Colin Farrell's famed B.C. Macedonian warrior, Alexander (2004) (as in "...the Great"), which featured a notoriously violent-tinged nude/sex scene.

Expanding her horizons beyond film, she has always expressed interest in singing. She hooked up with Prince for the re-release of his 1980s hit "1999" and appeared in The Chemical Brothers' video for the song "Out of Control" from the album "Surrender". She is also featured on the Outkast track, "She Lives in My Lap". On stage, she co-starred as Julia in a revival of "Two Gentlemen of Verona" at the Public Theater's "Shakespeare in the Park" and appeared in "The Vagina Monologues".

She lucked into and got to show off her singing chops in the film adaptation of the hit New York musical Rent (2005), when Daphne Rubin-Vega, the original Mimi, became pregnant and was unable to reprise her exotic dancer role. Rosario also appeared as a prostitute in the adaptation of the graphic novel Sin City (2005). Of late, she has turned to producing. One of those, Descent (2007), had her playing a college coed who is brutally attacked and raped by a fellow student. Her more popular ventures have thus far included the role of Valerie Brown in the live-action version of the comic strip Josie and the Pussycats (2001), the Will Smith starrer Men in Black II (2002), Eagle Eye (2008) with Shia LaBeouf and Seven Pounds (2008), again with Smith, in which she offered one of her more tender-hearted performances as a woman with a potentially fatal heart condition.

More recent millennium films opposite some of Hollywood's top leading movie men include the tense actioneer Unstoppable (2010) with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine; the comedy/fantasy Zookeeper (2011) opposite Dalekmania (1995); romantic dramedy 10 Years (2011) with Channing Tatum; crime drama Fire with Fire (2012) with Bruce Willis; romantic comedy Top Five (2014) with Chris Rock; and action adventure Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) with Woody Harrelson. She has also top-lined independent films with her own feisty characters such as the thriller Unforgettable (2017) and the title role in the dramedy Krystal (2017).

Focusing also on TV projects, Rosario has graced such action series/mini-series as Daredevil (2015), Iron Fist (2017) and The Defenders (2017), as well as the comedy Jane the Virgin (2014) and animated cartoon series The Last Kids on Earth (2019).

Off-camera, the still-single Dawson is highly active in political, social and environmental causes and has been involved with such organizations/charities/campaigns as the Lower East Side Girls Club, Global Cool, the O.N.E. Campaign, Oxfam, Amnesty International, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Control Arms, International Rescue Committee, Voto Latino (which she founded), Conservation International, Doctors Without Borders, National Geographic Society, The Nature Conservancy and Save the Children. In October 2008, she lent her voice to the RESPECT! Campaign, a movement aimed at preventing domestic violence.
BornMay 9, 1979
  • More at IMDbPro
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    • Resume
BornMay 9, 1979
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Top 5,00098
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
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See 'Star Wars' Stars In and Out of Costume

See 'Star Wars' Stars In and Out of Costume

Check out our gallery of stars from the Star Wars saga in character and in real life.
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Photos

Photos1024

Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Trevor Fehrman, and Brian O'Halloran in Clerks III (2022)
Rosario Dawson, David Oyelowo, and Lonnie Chavis in The Water Man (2020)
Rosario Dawson in Butterscotch (2020)
Rosario Dawson and Edi Gathegi in Briarpatch (2019)
Rosario Dawson in Rosario Dawson/Dulcé Sloan (2019)
Rosario Dawson in Rosario Dawson/Dulcé Sloan (2019)
Rosario Dawson and Jay R. Ferguson in Briarpatch (2019)
Rosario Dawson in Briarpatch (2019)
Rosario Dawson in Briarpatch (2019)
Woody Harrelson and Rosario Dawson in Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
Rosario Dawson in Fire with Fire (2012)
Rosario Dawson, Walter Flanagan, Bryan Johnson, Ming Chen, and Mike Zapcic in Comic Book Men (2012)

Known for

Rent (2005)
Rent
6.8
  • Mimi Marquez
  • 2005
Ralph Fiennes, Mariah Carey, Hector Elizondo, Seth Green, Billy Dee Williams, Will Arnett, Conan O'Brien, Doug Benson, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, Zach Galifianakis, Eddie Izzard, Jemaine Clement, Riki Lindhome, Jonah Hill, Jason Mantzoukas, Kate Micucci, Zoë Kravitz, Ellie Kemper, Adam Devine, and Jenny Slate in The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
The Lego Batman Movie
7.3
  • Batgirl
  • Barbara Gordon(voice)
  • 2017
Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Benicio Del Toro, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, and Clive Owen in Sin City (2005)
Sin City
8.0
  • Gail
  • 2005
Denzel Washington and Chris Pine in Unstoppable (2010)
Unstoppable
6.8
  • Connie
  • 2010

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Ahsoka
    • Post-production
  • Haunted Mansion
    • Post-production
  • Speed of Light
    • Pre-production
  • Batman: The Audio Adventures (2021)
    Batman: The Audio Adventures
    • (voice)
  • Kevin Smith, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes, and Brian O'Halloran in Clerks III (2022)
    Clerks III
  • Love, Death & Robots (2019)
    Love, Death & Robots
    • (voice)
  • Benjamin Bratt, Rosario Dawson, Hoon Lee, and Freddy Miyares in DMZ (2022)
    DMZ
  • Dying Light 2: Stay Human (2022)
    Dying Light 2: Stay Human
    • (voice)
  • Ming-Na Wen and Temuera Morrison in The Book of Boba Fett (2021)
    The Book of Boba Fett
  • Michael Keaton, Rosario Dawson, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg, John Hoogenakker, Will Poulter, and Kaitlyn Dever in Dopesick (2021)
    Dopesick
  • Steve Borden, Chris Jericho, Nick Massie, Jay Reso, Paul Wight, Darby Allin, Jack Perry, Jade Cargill, Bryan Danielson, Phil Brooks, Matt Massie, Kenny Omega, Fenix, Austin Jenkins, Pentagon Jr., Keith Lee, Jonathan Good, James Cipperly, Miroslav Barnyashev, Stevie Woltz, Melissa Cervantes, Manny Andrade, Britt Baker, Sammy Guevara, and Maxwell Friedman in AEW Dynamite (2019)
    AEW Dynamite
  • Bob Bergen, Jeff Bergman, Gabriel Iglesias, Fred Tatasciore, Eric Bauza, LeBron James, and Zendaya in Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
    Space Jam: A New Legacy
    • (voice)
  • Eden (2021)
    Eden
    • (English version, voice)
  • Young Rock (2021)
    Young Rock
  • Jessica DiCicco and Josh Zuckerman in It's Pony (2020)
    It's Pony
    • (voice)
  • Calls (2021)
    Calls
    • (voice)
  • The Mandalorian (2019)
    The Mandalorian
  • Rocky Horror Show: Livestream Theater (2020)
    Rocky Horror Show: Livestream Theater

Producer

  • Below the Belt
    • Completed
  • IMPACT-Dick Gregory
    • Completed
  • Tristan Cunningham in Normal Ain't Normal (2021)
    Normal Ain't Normal
  • Our Words Collide (2022)
    Our Words Collide
  • Split at the Root (2022)
    Split at the Root
  • This Is Not a War Story (2021)
    This Is Not a War Story
  • Telethon for America 2020 (2020)
    Telethon for America 2020
  • Briarpatch (2019)
    Briarpatch
  • LA Woman Rising (2019)
    LA Woman Rising
  • The Need to Grow (2019)
    The Need to Grow
  • The Deported (2019)
    The Deported
  • Lost in America (2018)
    Lost in America
  • Parts Per Billion (2014)
    Parts Per Billion
  • Gemini Division (2008)
    Gemini Division
  • Rosario Dawson in Descent (2007)
    Descent

Director

  • Boundless (2019)
    Boundless
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos262

Rosario Dawson and Natasha Liu Bordizzo Go Behind the Scenes of "Ahsoka"
Clip 2:21
Rosario Dawson and Natasha Liu Bordizzo Go Behind the Scenes of "Ahsoka"
Rosario Dawson | Movie & TV Moments
Clip 1:18
Rosario Dawson | Movie & TV Moments
Everything We Know About the Future of Star Wars
Clip 6:03
Everything We Know About the Future of Star Wars
Rosario Dawson | IMDb Supercut
Clip 1:03
Rosario Dawson | IMDb Supercut
Puerto Ricans in Paris
Clip 1:01
Puerto Ricans in Paris
Ratchet and Clank
Clip 1:36
Ratchet and Clank
Ratchet and Clank
Clip 1:15
Ratchet and Clank
Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast
Clip 6:06
Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast
He Got Game
Clip 1:20
He Got Game
He Got Game
Clip 0:56
He Got Game
25th Hour
Clip 1:30
25th Hour
25th Hour
Clip 1:23
25th Hour

Personal details

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  • Official sites
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • May 9, 1979
    • New York City, New York, USA
    • Gustavo Vazquez(Aunt or Uncle)
  • Other works
    Spoken vocals on 1999 Prince and the Revolution EP "1999: The New Master," track "Rosario (1999)."
  • Publicity listings
    • 5 Interviews
    • 9 Articles
    • 12 Pictorials
    • 11 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Discovered sitting on her front porch in New York City and asked if she wanted to be in a movie. That movie was Kids (1995).
  • Quotes
    As an actor, there are times when you're sitting around and wishing you were working, so you've got to just take it when it comes.

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